


when the threads tangle

by orphan_account



Series: between the horizon [1]
Category: K-pop, VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Immortality, Inspired by Goblin (K-drama), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 20:03:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13531545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: jaehwan has been alive for a long, long time now. it doesn't mean it ever hurts any less.





	when the threads tangle

Jaehwan sometimes wished he didn’t remember everything.

He doesn’t take his immortality for granted. Not at all. But with centuries upon centuries of old knowledge and changing truths, it was hard not to become jaded by simply _existing._

With jadedness comes uneasiness, and with uneasiness comes fitful dreams that have Jaehwan waking far before the sun has risen.

He scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, still enduring the aftershocks of his dream. Faces he could never forget and places that he would never see again.

A memory lingered in his mind, a smile as fresh as the day Jaehwan had seen it. His heart lurched so violently that he scrambled out from bed, raking his hands through his hair as his breath slowly returned to him.

He sometimes wished he didn’t remember everything, because even after centuries, he still ached for what used to be.

 

 

Taekwoon was already in the living room by the time Jaehwan decided to exit the coldness of his bedroom. He was in the process of buttoning up his coat, fingers smoothly slipping against the wood from years of repeating the process. Even when Jaehwan flicked on the lights, the black of his coat seemed to eat up the light, turning Taekwoon into a walking, breathing black hole.

“Night mission?” Jaehwan guessed without much surprise, spotting the familiar white speckled butterfly perched on Taekwoon’s shoulder.

Taekwoon hummed in confirmation. “Female, 22. Male, 25. Car crashed into the guardrail on a road near Nonhyeon. Intoxicated driving.” He recited with as much pizazz as he could muster at three in the morning.

Jaehwan winced. “They don’t ever learn, do they?”

“Alcohol is a lifelong enemy of mortals.” Taekwoon replied sagely. The butterfly fluttered its wings in agreement.

Jaehwan scoffed. “You’re one to talk.” He shot back. “Who’s the one that insisted on building a wine cellar downstairs?”

“It’s called refined taste.” Taekwoon muttered, the tips of his ears gone red. “Besides, I cannot become intoxicated. Mortals can.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jaehwan waved him off. “You go do your thing, O Fearsome Reaper.”

Taekwoon scowled, flicking an errant strand of black hair from his face. “Don’t call me that.” He growled. Upon seeing Jaehwan’s bedraggled hair and crinkled silkscreened pajamas (“Really, Jaehwan? Designer sleepwear?” “I’ll have you know that this brand is extremely _chic_ right now.”), his face softened the slightest fraction. Taekwoon had experienced enough of Jaehwan’s sleepless episodes to know exactly what had driven Jaehwan from the confines of his covers. “Another one?”

Jaehwan shrugged, not feeling up to talking about it. “I slept enough. Whatever.”

“What was it this time?”

Jaehwan looked away from Taekwoon’s searing gaze. Not tonight. He couldn’t take any soul searching right now. “Same thing. It doesn’t change.”

Taekwoon continued to stare, and Jaehwan suddenly felt itchy. Like he might tear at the seams if he stayed put any second longer. “Hey,” he said suddenly. “I’m just gonna. Go for a walk. Around the city.”

Taekwoon merely quirked a brow. That wasn’t irregular, either. Jaehwan had his own methods to calm down after a bad sleep. Taekwoon had long since learned not to prod about them. “Alright,” He said, finally. “Maybe I can meet you once my business is over.”

Jaehwan cracked a smile. “Watch the sunrise together, even. That’d be romantic.”

Taekwoon chuckled at that, reaching for his black hat and fixing it smartly upon his head. “Top of the Namsan Tower?”

“I’ll meet you there.” Jaehwan agreed. “See you later, Taek.” He brushed a finger along one of the butterfly’s wings, watching the creature shiver. “Fly safely.”

“See you soon.” Taekwoon clapped Jaehwan on the shoulder as the butterfly took flight, Taekwoon following closely behind as he closed the front door gingerly behind him.

There was a faint flutter, a small _woosh_.

Then silence.

Jaehwan sighed deeply. “Poor old bastard, running around silly.” He clucked his tongue as he turned to change into more befitting clothes for the balmy Seoul summertime night, pondering upon old words he hadn’t forgotten.

_Taekwoon. A Grim Reaper. As punishment for an unforgivable sin committed in their latest life, mortals’ souls are turned into Reapers for an indefinite amount of time. The butterfly of death will serve as their messenger and guide, leading them to the souls they must find. Reapers are also responsible for pouring the tea of forgetfulness, to allow souls to pass into the next life without regrets. Collectors of souls and harbingers of death, it is the Reaper’s duty to lead souls peacefully to the afterlife or the next life, no matter what. Only then will they achieve their own peace._

“Hm.” Jaehwan pursed his lips. As always, the memory brought with it a familiar spark of curiosity. Jaehwan had once chanced to ask what Taekwoon had done in his past life to warrant such an awful consequence. But Taekwoon had stared at him blankly, with no inkling of what he was talking about whatsoever.

 _“Reapers lose all memories of their past lives.”_ Hongbin’s dreamy voice floated to Jaehwan as he shrugged on a light jacket. _“And although I know exactly what he did, I certainly could not tell you. It is not my destiny to. Fate works in mysterious ways.”_

“Whatever you say, Binnie.” Jaehwan said to no one in particular, before closing his eyes and vanishing into the night.

 

* * *

 

 

Jaehwan found himself not in the city, but at home.

The rippling fields of grass and distant smell of the sea welcomed him with an embrace as familiar as the sun, and Jaehwan fell willingly.

In the countryside, there was much more left from the past days. The houses were all reminiscent of older times, simpler and more dangerous periods. The particular house he found himself in front of was almost a dead ringer for the one he’d grown up in. Even if he knew they weren’t the same.

A white dog napping in the dirt courtyard lifted its head in alarm at the intruder, teeth poised for a snarl, before recognizing Jaehwan in the dark night and wagging its tail enthusiastically. Jaehwan grinned, crouching down as the dog stretched out before loping over to him clumsily.

“Good morning, Danggeun.” He said softly, rubbing the jindo’s chin affectionately. Danggeun appraised him with soft, sleep-addled eyes. “Go back to sleep, lil’ guy. I’m just passing by.”

Danggeun squinted at him suspiciously and promptly refused to leave Jaehwan’s side. Jaehwan didn’t really mind, anyway. He’d been haunting the place at ungodly hours for ages now, and he’d been seeing Danggeun since the dog was just a pup. They were well past acquainted.

Jaehwan continued to stroke Danggeun’s head distractedly as he took in his surroundings. The house truly never changed, not a speck of dirt in its wrong place. The wooden structure of the house sagged with age, the walls battered and cracked from withstanding the elements for years. Immediately, a sense of comfort warmed Jaehwan to the very bone like a wave cresting gently at the shore. Milennia of great men and women had been born and raised here, cultivating the land, shaping history as they knew it.

Jaehwan wondered, in retrospect, if he’d ever be considered among that greatness. Or perhaps his legacy had died the same day his mortal life had ended.

Danggeun yipped softly, pulling Jaehwan from his reverie as he refocused on the dog, now standing in front of him expectantly.

“Yes? Can I help you?” Jaehwan rose to his feet. Danggeun huffed before prancing over to a ceramic pot at the foot of the stairs, a detail that Jaehwan had somehow missed entirely. The dog sat next to the vase, as if to say, “ _you really don’t notice anything different?”_

“Don’t sass me, I’m getting old.” Jaehwan protested, and he swore that Danggeun’s responding huff was an attempt at a laugh. Jaehwan kneeled, studying the pot with mild interest. Standard ceramics, a lovely simple blue painting of the sea. Jaehwan chanced a peek into the contents of the vase, and his heart nearly dropped to his feet when he saw the flowers.

The bouquet of small buckwheat flowers nestled inside a tiny pool of water, the blooms rustling in the faint wind.

 

_“Yeon-ah! Yeon-ah, look!”_

_Jae nearly fell over in his eagerness to reach the field, his companion trailing close behind. Yeon lunged for Jae’s arm, holding him upright before he could land face-down in the dirt._

_“Are you alright?” Yeon gasped. “You have to be careful!”_

_“Alright, alright, I apologize.” Jae laughed, surging onwards as Yeon, unwilling to let go again, was dragged along. “But look! Yeon, look!”_

_“At what?” Yeon snapped, relinquishing his grip on Jae’s arm as the latter finally halted. But all the annoyance left him in a rush as he turned wide eyes onto the endless garden of white, covering the fields with their blooms._

_“Oh,” Yeon breathed, and his voice was so full of wonder than Jae couldn’t help but beam at him adoringly. “Oh, Jae, what are they?”_

_“They’re buckwheat flowers.” Jae said, reaching down to pluck one of the stems. “They used to grow near my aunt’s house. I used to visit her, when I was really little. Before I met you.”_

_Jae studied the flower between his fingers, so simple yet so elegant. “I didn’t think they grew here.” He said, almost breathless with the reminder of home, of the family living their lives without him._

_Unexplainably, tears sprung to the corners of his eyes, unbearably burning. He blinked desperately, pretending to bury his nose in the scent of the petals. But Yeon was far too perceptive - he always had been when it came to Jae._

_“Jae.” Yeon’s voice was so, so soft. Jae felt, rather than heard, Yeon take a step closer. A hand closed around his, and Jae let his companion align their palms in a sweet gesture. The effect was almost instantaneous, how every tight nerve in Jae’s system seemed to relax in Yeon’s presence. Jae didn’t pull away when Yeon gently tugged Jae so they could face each other, eyes beckoning to him like the scent of the sea. “It’s okay for you to miss home. I do, too.”_

_“It’s an honor,” Jae replied, automatically. “To serve as a ward in this household and represent the Hwan clan.”_

_“I know. And I am proud of you.” Yeon assured. “But you don’t have to pretend when it’s just us.” Yeon’s eyes twinkled. “I always see through your lies, anyway.”_

_Jae grumbled, nudging Yeon away but feeling considerably more light-hearted than before. “That’s because you’re too nosy for your own good.”_

_Yeon grinned, and Jae couldn’t help but grin back. He extended the flower to Yeon. “My early birthday gift to you.”_

_Yeon, still smiling, accepted the flower graciously. “Thank you. I’ll cherish it with my life.” He said solemnly._

_“As you should.” Jae replied, as equally somber. “A bouquet of buckwheat flowers signifies lovers. So you must know I’m jeopardizing my future marriage because my servant is just too charming for me to resist.”_

_Yeon laughed, then, and Jae would never forget how he looked in that moment — white flowers clutched in his hands, his laugh clear and bright amidst the rustling of the grass._

 

Jaehwan blinked, and Yeon was gone. The field of buckwheat flowers faded into distant memory, as the meager bunch before his eyes welcomed him back into reality.

_Lovers._

Jaehwan’s heart did that familiar, well-worn dance. There was never a day where he didn’t think of Yeon without a yearning so fierce his whole body ached. No matter how long forever stretched in front of him, the image of the laughing boy with the buckwheat flowers would always retain the same clarity as the moment he’d seen it.

But that field of buckwheat flowers had long since died, overturned by new flora. Jaehwan wondered where this particular bunch had come from.

Danggeun let out an inquisitive little huff, and Jaehwan shook his head. “Nothing. Just old memories.” Jaehwan murmured. “Don’t worry about me, lil’ guy.”

Danggeun shook his fur gruffly as Jaehwan leaned back, taking in the house before him. He closed his eyes, a faint whistling in his ears.

When he opened his eyes again, the house was gone, replaced by the very one he’d grown up in. In the distance, he could see the field of buckwheat, dancing to the wind softly.

And amongst the stalks, two young boys offered each other flowers, smiling at each other like they were each other’s only world.

 

* * *

 

Jaehwan bid Danggeun a last farewell, watching the dog settle back down for a couple more hours of rest, before blinking away. Taekwoon was sure to be done with his assignment soon, and Jaehwan wanted to wander around the city for a bit before meeting him.

He landed in an older sect of the Namjagwa neighborhood, a familiar haunt of his. Something about the homely streets comforted him, in contrast to the monolithic apartment buildings in the heart of the metropolis.

He began making his way down the streets at a leisurely pace, enjoying his sweet time. His mind flitted back to Taekwoon momentarily. The reaper must’ve been administering the tea at that point. Double deaths were usually more messy anyway, with both souls trying to shift the blame on each other. Taekwoon had dealt with enough of those to know how to strike out a peaceful parting.

Taekwoon. They’d met after Jaehwan became what he was, when they’d both been adapting to their new lives. Jaehwan recalled the first mission Taekwoon had carried out, where he’d tentatively followed the unfamiliar white speckled butterfly with a reproachful gaze. Now, Taekwoon dealt with death like it was just another nuisance under his belt. Jaehwan couldn’t tell if that was admirable or pitiful.

Jaehwan paused, turning his ear to the wind. Something felt off, the peace of the world disturbed by _something._

Silence only greeted him.

His mind was shaken, still, from the flowers. He was hearing things. Jaehwan shrugged, advancing another step before he heard it. The faint, indiscernible whimper of someone.

Jaehwan looked around curiously, lips tugged into a frown. He wasn’t worried about being seen, but. No one would be awake at this time. He’d been to the quiet little neighborhood enough to know that any disturbance before late morning was concerning in itself.

Jaehwan shuffled towards the source of the noise, his radar for trouble flaring stronger and stronger until he stopped right in front of a fenced house at the end of the street. The lock hung loosely from the gate, and Jaehwan pushed it open with ease. The metal creaked ominously as he peered into the yard of the house.

A woman in a striking red coat lay sprawled in the grass, seemingly unconscious. A towering man loomed over her, one hand clenching a cream purse and the other ghosting over his belt. Jaehwan watched with raised eyebrows as the man protruded a long, wicked hunting knife from its sheath, wildness in his eyes.

Jaehwan knew he needed to walk away. Knew that the woman’s fate was sealed, that a Reaper would be coming for her soon enough and that the man would be apprehended for his crime. Fate willing.

 _Cruel._ Every fiber in his being murmured. _Cruel cruel cruel._

The man adjusted his grip on the knife, kneeling down next to the woman.

Jaehwan tried to step away, but he was rooted in his place. _Cruel cruel cruel._

The woman stirred, just a breath of movement, and her head lolled over. Jaehwan’s stomach involuntarily turned at the brilliant bruises across her face, the blood gleaming on her chin.

Her eyes, half-lidded, wandered over to where Jaehwan was. Jaehwan knew she couldn’t see him, he knew. But there was a desperation and terror in her eye that seemed to be calling to him and only him. The only one who could _do something._

 _Please,_ she seemed to plead, to anyone who was listening.

The man raised his knife, steel glinting.

The woman’s eyes fell closed again, her last light of hope shuttering out.

_Please._

The knife came raining down, ready to meet its target unobstructed and true —

Jaehwan’s eyes flared, his mind made up as the man’s arms slowed.

And stopped altogether.

The knife hovered just a hair above its mark, the tip brushing the fabric of the red coat. The man’s entire body lingered, every limb stuck in its movement. Even the grass had stopped quivering, and the wind itself seemed to hold its breath.

Jaehwan clucked his tongue in disapproval. “Can’t believe I’m really doing this.” He muttered to himself, albeit with a lack of any real conviction. He knew exactly why he was doing this. The Reapers would be on his ass about it eventually, but he only had eyes for the woman in the red coat, at the mercy of the blade.

Jaehwan sauntered over to her side, the two humans like flies trapped in amber. Kneeling down, he plucked the knife from the man’s hands and tossed it aside. The cream purse tumbled from the man’s hand. For good measure, Jaehwan’s eyes flared again. The man’s body lifted from the ground like a puppet on the string, moving with a blur until the man was situated on the street, right in front of a pothole. The gate swung shut and the lock clicked back together tightly, forbidding any further funny business.

Now that that was done. Jaehwan inspected the woman’s wounds, grimacing at the bruises. “He hits hard,” He acknowledged grimly. “But you’ll be fine. Little ice should keep the swelling down. Keep the cut on your chin disinfected. It’s small, but keep a bandage on it until it closes over.”

The woman remained still, not even a breath escaping her mouth. Jaehwan sensed a shadow across his back, and sighed.

“Stay safe, human.”

Jaehwan’s eyes flared red once more, and the woman disappeared in a blur, as if her actions had been sped up. The front door of the house swung open as the woman’s body floated down onto the couch, a blanket sweeping over her seamlessly. The cream purse followed after her, nestling itself at the foot of the cushions. The door swung shut, locking decisively as Jaehwan stood back up. He glanced to the horizon. The sun was barely peeking over the edge; Taekwoon must’ve been waiting for him by now by the tower.

He spared one last glance towards the house and the woman there, now sleeping soundly. For some reason, a strange sort of trepidation crept over him. Like something grand and unexpected was about to spring onto him.

He shook his head, snorting derisively at his own delusion, before vanishing into the air.

The man suddenly jerked into action, disoriented by his unfamiliar surroundings. He took a step forward directly into the pothole, and fell with a shriek that sent the birds flapping away.

The woman in the red coat woke with a gasp, life flowing back into her veins. The air seemed to caress her protectively, assuring that she was alright.

 _You escaped Death._ The wind’s unspoken secret hung in the air as the woman, fazed by her pain, passed out again, this time into the secure clutches of slumber.

Time resumed again, and life continued as usual.

 

 

Except something was wrong.

Something was _very wrong._

 

 

Taekwoon glared at the empty spot in the grass, his butterfly flapping around in puzzled circles. No matter where he’d looked, he remained empty-handed and increasingly impatient. “Are you sure,” He said slowly. “This wasn’t a mistake?”

The butterfly landed in the grass, wings beating angrily. Taekwoon tongued the inside of his cheek. “You tell me.” He said irritably. “I don’t see a woman with a knife wound bleeding out into the grass. Nor do I sense any spirits nearby.”

He re-adjusted his hat, patience thin. “We’ve been looking for too long. I’ll file a report later. This isn’t getting anywhere.”

His butterfly rose into the air again, assuming position on Taekwoon’s shoulder once more. Taekwoon shrugged. “Of course I think it’s strange. But I’m sure the situation will be rectified immediately, once the higher-ups get wind of this. Souls don’t just _disappear.”_

He glanced worriedly at the rising sun. “Jaehwan’s probably waiting for me. We’ve got to just go.”

The butterfly wilted in defeat as Taekwoon blinked away, the shadow of a Reaper retreating across the house.

 

* * *

 

 

_“Astraeun. Timewalker. Duskborn.” Hongbin recited, golden eyes flashing brilliantly in the sun. “The works of time is now in your hands. The temporal flow of the world is yours to command. The past is yours to view, but not to touch. The future will only come to you in brief glimpses, premonitions, nothing more. But you can do with the present as you wish. Within reason, of course.”_

_“For eternity.” Jaehwan said slowly, studying his hands with renewed perspective. “Will I truly be like this forever?”_

 

_Hongbin smiled, a vast and undecipherable expression on his face. “Perhaps.”_

* * *

 

 

The higher-ups could not locate the missing soul of the woman in the red coat. Nor could they find the nameless spirit alongside her.

They prodded at Jaehwan for answers, suspecting his mischief to be the underlying cause, but he evaded their interrogations slyly. Even Taekwoon could not demand an Astraeun for answers.

So the Reapers searched, wondering how a soul could have escaped the grasps of death. Taekwoon now had a second mission: _keep an eye out for the missing souls._

The Reapers did not know of the woman in the red coat, returning to see her mother in the countryside.

They did not know of the life in her belly that soon entered the world, eyes opening to the dawn of a new day.

They certainly did not know of the vase of dried-up buckwheat flowers on the doorstep of the house, or of the white dog guarding the perishing blooms staunchly.

And the woman in red herself remained blissfully ignorant, too absorbed with the delight of her mother and the shining child to see the spectral faces peering at her from the windows, all murmuring the same thing.

_Eosian. Eosian. Eosian._

 

_Dawnborn._

**Author's Note:**

> yay new fic! i’ve been sitting on this idea for a while now and only now have i actually found the balls to work on it and publish it. like i mentioned before, this story is heavily influenced by the k-drama “goblin”, but i’ve changed a lot of stuff so you don’t have to watch the drama to understand. i’ll do my best to explain everything as the story goes on ^^
> 
> but wowow im done finally with part one! i’m sorry if you’re VERY confused, i promise everything will be further clarified as the story progresses. but you’ve already met the lovely lee jaehwan and jung taekwoon! while i’ll talk more about what jaehwan is later on, as you can see, taekwoon is a reaper. reapers, in this story, are accompanied by a butterfly and the butterfly acts as their messenger and guide, leading them to new souls. i chose a butterfly because thanatos, the Greek personification of death, has a patron animal that is a butterfly! the tea is also taken from goblin and other mythology - before a soul can move on, they can choose to drink the tea of forgetfulness to wipe their memory of their life before going on to their next life.  
> i hope this cleared some stuff up! thank you guys for reading and if you want, follow me on twitter! i posted an aesthetic/background info for taekwoon and ill gradually post the rest of the characters later ^^ @jaehwandies


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